Contaminated water is a menace that contributes to the deaths of several people year in year out (“Hand Washing Facilities in Schools”). It leads to severe illnesses such as diarrhea and cholera especially among toddlers and school going children. Following this fact, the residents of the town of Crestwood, Illinois came up with a project that would enhance hand sanitation, especially in public schools. The objective of the specific project was to ensure that by the end of six months, they had provided each school with water dispensers which supplied clean water for washing hands, alongside other necessities such as soap and hand sanitizers. The vision was to see a disease-free region that boasted of nothing but good health.
The residents were divided into several groups, which consisted of twenty people, and each was expected to cover one school. Among those who joined were the area leaders who included the principals and health officials. Every group chose a representative who was to act as the team leader and would aid in modeling the way through which the issue would be approached and tackled. The teams were expected to contribute an average of $1 million each, which was to be used to purchase the specifics.
It was the responsibility of each group to come up with ways on how to raise the required funds. Some people opted to run marathons while others decided to do fundraisers just to mention but a few. By the end of the agreed term, all the groups had met their targets, apart from two groups which were not far from the target. The teams also selected a few health practitioners who trained the students on hand hygiene and on how to use the materials on delivery. From the achievements, it is clear that the leaders had played a major role in inspiring and sharing the vision, and through challenging the process through the collection of funds, they were able to encourage the hearts of the residents of Crestwood who acted accordingly.
Each group voted for one person who together with others formed a finance committee. The group was mandated with budgeting for the sanitizers, water dispensers, heaters, and soap. Finally, the goods were purchased and later supplied to all the public schools in Crestwood. Therefore, the team was able to meet the objective of the project, which was to provide tools, which would help deal with diseases caused by contaminated water.
Good decision making plays a very key role in uniting a team. In this particular project, the skill was well applied. All the teams came up with ways through which they would raise the finances. If they had not done so, the project would have probably failed. The idea to deal with the issue of contaminated water was also an important project that displayed good decision makers. Coming up with group leaders and a finance committee, which managed the raised funds also involved strong decision making. As mentioned, leadership was distributed up to the lowest level to ensure that everything ran smoothly. Clearly, the strategies used in this project can be applied when dealing with a project that deals with a big group of people. The strongest strategy, in this case, would be the use of groups or teams, which have team leaders who ensure there is coordination of activities within and out of the group.
The project mainly involved the residents of Crestwood. However, there were volunteers from the various organizations such as the Red Cross and World Vision. These organizations have played an important role in ensuring that there is a continuous supply of clean water in various regions, therefore, reducing the issue of contamination. Their participation in the project was therefore highly appreciated as it echoed the importance of using clean water, or rather washing off contaminated water through the use of water and soap.
Works Cited
"Hand Washing Facilities in Schools." n.d. WSP. Web. 22 July 2016 <http://www.wsp.org/Hygiene-Sanitation-Water-Toolkit/BasicPrinciples/HandwashingFacilities.html>.
JD. "5 Practices and 10 Commitments for Effective Leadership." 15 October 2012. Web. Sources of Insight. 22 July 2016 <http://sourcesofinsight.com/5-practices-and-10-commitments-for-leadership/>.
Rath, Tom and Barry Conchie. "What Followers Want From Leaders." 8 January 2009. Web. Gallup. 22 July 2016 <http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/113542/what-followers-want-from-leaders.aspx>.
